Gnawed
/nɔːd/noun
Past tense and past participle of gnaw, meaning to bite or chew persistently.
Did you know?The word’s initial g was historically pronounced in Old English, but the consonant cluster /gn/ gradually simplified, leaving the spelling as a linguistic fossil.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gneh₂-
“To gnaw or scrape away by biting”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gnaganą
“To gnaw, bite, or consume by repeated chewing”
Old English
Old English
gnagan
“To gnaw or bite; the initial g was pronounced”
Middle English
Middle English
gnawen
“To gnaw or wear away by biting”
15th Century
English
gnawed
“Past tense form of gnaw; pronounced with a reduced initial consonant cluster”
Modern English
English
gnawed
“Bitten or chewed persistently; pronounced /nɔːd/”
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